Travel update: Big Sur closures

A number of parks and visitor destinations in Big Sur remained closed indefinitely due to heavy rains, troublesome road conditions and the lingering effects of last year’s Soberanes Fire.

Caltrans closed Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on Highway 1 on Feb. 15, due to a fractured column that the agency later determined it will not be able to replace for at least 10 months. Neither foot nor vehicle traffic is allowed across the bridge, and there are no trails around it.

Less than a week later, some 30 mudslides along Highway 1 between Carmel Highlands and the San Luis Obispo County border also caused temporary blockages. The closure of unstable Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, which connects Highway 1 to Highway 101 in southern Monterey County, has also compounded access issues.

With most staff and patrons unable to reach them, venerable attractions such as Nepenthe restaurant, Esalen Institute, Post Ranch Inn, Ventana Inn and Treebones Resort, among others, have been shuttered since mid-February. Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns and Limekiln state parks and Garrapata State Park east of Highway 1 also remain closed indefinitely, either due to recent flooding, fire damage or both; weekly tours of Point Sur Lighthouse have also been canceled. Numerous roads, trails and campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest are also currently out of commission.